An investigation into bovine besnoitiosis (Besnoitia besnoiti) in an Irish pedigree Aberdeen Angus herd

Abstract

This case report describes the investigation of the first outbreak of bovine besnoitiosis in a beef/suckler herd in Ireland. Infection with Besnoitia besnoiti was suspected by the attending veterinarian following clinical examination of a chronically affected cow with areas of alopecia and marked skin thickening. Diagnosis of besnoitiosis was confirmed by Cork Regional Veterinary Laboratory based on histopathology of skin biopsies. Subsequent serological investigation using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay testing revealed a 17.8% seroprevalence within the herd, with 33% of adult cows seropositive. A clinical whole-herd investigation found an overall clinical prevalence of besnoitiosis of 38.8%, based on the presence of sclerocysts and/or vulval cysts. There was poor agreement between serological and clinical findings. In contrast to serological findings, 83.8% of 18-month-old heifers and bulls had sclerocysts. Due to the high prevalence of besnoitiosis and the challenges of controlling spread, this pedigree herd was discontinued by the farmer.

First report of Besnoitia bennetti in Irish donkeys: an emerging parasitic disease in Europe

“…Both donkeys were born on a farm in north Cork. Two outbreaks of bovine besnoitiosis have previously been reported in Ireland in both dairy [ 35 ] and beef cattle [ 36 ] in Co. Tipperary and Co. Cork respectively. Although the Besnoitia species was not identified at molecular level in these cases, it was assumed to be B. besnoiti .…”

An update on epidemiology and clinical aspects of besnoitiosis in livestock and wildlife in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review

“…Amongst these species, B. besnoiti was the most widely distributed species, with natural infections reported in Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Outside Africa, outbreaks of B. besnoiti have been reported in endemic and non-endemic countries such as Israel, Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, India, Venezuela, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, and Belgium ( Mehlhorn et al, 2009 ; Mutinelli et al, 2010 ; Gentile et al, 2012 ; Lesser et al, 2012 ; Álvarez-García et al, 2013 ; Cortes et al, 2014 ; Hornok et al, 2014 ; Duvallet and Boireau, 2015 ; Vanhoudt et al, 2015 , Ryan et al, 2016 ; Garrido-Castañé et al, 2019 ; Villa et al, 2019 ; Delooz et al, 2021 ; Napoli et al, 2021 ; Rhodes et al, 2022 ). According to Bianchini et al (2019) and Neve et al (2022) , the current dispersion scenario and outbreaks of B. besnoiti in non-endemic areas may be attributed to animal trade, management practices, and climate change which has modified vector survival and activity.…”

“…Bovine besnoitiosis has been largely reported in sub-Saharan Africa ( Bigalke and Prozesky, 2004 ; Chatikobo et al, 2013 ), Asia ( Olias et al, 2011 ) and Europe ( Cortes et al, 2005 , Cortes et al, 2006a ; Alzieu et al, 2007 ; Mehlhorn et al, 2009 ; Gollnick et al, 2010 ; Jacquiet et al, 2010 ; Liénard et al, 2011 ; Gentile et al, 2012 ; Álvarez-García et al, 2013 ; Ryan et al, 2016 ; Garrido-Castañé et al, 2019 ; Villa et al, 2019 ; Delooz et al, 2021 ; Napoli et al, 2021 ; Rhodes et al, 2022 ). In the sub-Saharan African region, the disease has been reported in South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Nigeria, and Cameroon ( Zango et al, 2016 ).…”

Absence of anti‐ Besnoitia spp. specific antibodies in European wild lagomorphs from the Iberian Peninsula

“…The European Food Safety Authority alerted in 2010 about the re‐emergence of this disease in Europe from areas where it was traditionally endemic, the Alentejo region in south‐central Portugal, the north‐eastern part of Spain and the French Pyrenees (Álvarez‐García 2016) to neighbouring countries (EFSA, 2010). Indeed, bovine besnoitiosis is currently present in inland Europe and islands as Ireland or Sicily (Álvarez‐García et al., 2013; Cortes et al., 2014; Delooz et al., 2021; Hornok et al., 2014; Lesser et al., 2012; Neve et al., 2022; Ryan et al., 2016; Rhodes et al., 2022; Vanhoudt et al., 2015). Bovine besnoitiosis is a chronic and a debilitating disease that primarily affects beef cattle and is characterized by a low body score and systemic clinical signs and skin lesions.…”